New Year, New Spaces…..9 Easy Steps to Pretty and Practical Organization
Surrounding Beauty…
(this is an inspiration picture I use for my office…from Country Living…doesn’t it just make you smile?!)
This week I am going to share some tips and resources for Pretty & Practical Organization. Please note…I am as much the student here as the teacher! I used to be quite well organized…then through a series of life events my organization has given way to….well, let’s just say….much less organization than I prefer to live with!
January always feels like a fresh start in this area to me…and to many of my friends…do you feel that way, too? I feel like if I can get a good start on getting things back in order then I can continue that process throughout the rest of the year!
Here is an article I wrote for you….these are really basic steps but very effective in getting your spaces shaped up!
January is the month of “new” ….. new goals, new dreams, new ideas, new spaces…yes, spaces! I’m not talking about moving….I’m talking about organizing and in the process, recreating your spaces.
Research has shown that clutter and unorganized living spaces cause us to be stressed and distracted…hindering our ability to think clearly and move forward…so it makes perfect sense that in the month of “new”…we must first deal with the old…..the clutter, the mess, the piles…you know what I’m talking about!
Organizing our spaces doesn’t have to be overwhelming or boring…if we follow a few easy steps it can be accomplished in short bits of time and give us a great sense of accomplishment and that wonderful feeling of “new”!
If you follow these few simple tips and consistently spend 10 to 20 minutes a day on your organizing goals, in no time at all you’ll have created many “new spaces” in your space!
1) K.I.S.S. ……keep it simple sweetie! Don’t make it more complicated than it is! Stay focused!
2) Decide how you want a space to function and what is necessary to be in the space for that purpose. Get rid of any clutter not related to the function(s) of the space.
3) Sort and purge…. give away, throw away, put away. Don’t keep items you don’t use, are easily retrieved electronically or don’t serve their purpose any longer.
4) Create a place for everything (and then put things in their places). Store items where they are used.
5) Store like items together whenever possible.
6) Attack problem areas first…. what bugs you the most? What will give you the greatest sense of accomplishment?
7) Think outside the box when looking for containers to store your items. Practical can be pretty, look for containers that compliment your décor and can effectively be used for storage. Decorative boxes, artsy file folders, pretty glasses or mugs can all be used to organize many items in your office.
8) Don’t purchase containers until you’ve done all of the above.
9) Once you have gotten things in order, incorporate little routines to keep it that way. Like many things in life an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure!
Making little changes in our habits and routines to keep things in order will give us clarity of mind and more time to do the things we really enjoy.
I’d love to hear your solutions to organizing your spaces…please share in the comments…and you’ll be entered for the January giveaway, too!
Tomorrow….more tips and some resources for Pretty & Practical Organization!
See you then~